Ski binding



mmh 2, 193% m. H. DUDD 2,072,477

SKI BINDING Filed Oct. 23, 1935 i mutui-gi illtmiatenied Mar, d, ldd? femrah stares hdmi?? iWdTMNT FFHCE b bleiben.,

i rlibia invention relates to an improved sid bind d. ieature oi' the invention resides in the provision ci a novel ski binding which holds the boot rigid with respect to the shi ior turning or edging the latter, so that superior control oi the slri is adorded. as is particularly important for downi hill running, while, at the same time, the binding permits requisite relative movement oi the boot l@ and shi for walking or climbing.

.d more specihc feature oi the invention resides in the provision oi a sin binding which includes a rigid irame for holding the boot firm trom heel to toe, and in which the trame is pivoted to permit the boot to swing about an aids across the sid, means being provided ior securely attaching the binding to the boot in a simple manner, so that the binding is easy to put on and taire od, and so that when on, the boot is ior practical purposes one with the sld when the latter' is to be turned or edged, while the boot may move with respect to the sisi as in walking. Stili another feature ci the present invention resides in the provision oi a sisi binding ci the above character including novel means for tending to maintain the heel ci the binding on the siii, .and more particularly in simple and eiiective mechanism tor varying the pressure which tends zo ireep the heel ci the boot ilat on the siii.

.d iurther feature lies in a sisi binding which inm cludes a novel and superior type oi heel clamp, more especially a clamp which is carried by the binding :tor engaging the heel by a sliding or wedglng' action.

@their tentures reside in certain combinations oi' diilerent parts ci the binding which cooperate to achieve the various advantages, including sidestive control oi the siris, desired relative movement ai the boots and sins, and ease in putting on and ,w taitina oil' the bindings, without the need'ior troublesome or cumbersome parts which may either interiore with the iuli use ci the sins under all sorts ci' running, turns or tails, or may have to be detached trom the sins trom time to time.

i5 .d primary object ci the invention resides in providing such a binding which not only satis"l :ties the ioregoing objects in a superior manner, but which at the saine time is simple and inert pensive to manufacture, sturdy and durable in so service, and easy to put on and taire ofi.

@ther ieatures, objects and advantages oi the present invention will in part bepointed out and in part become apparent in connection with the ioilowing detailed description oi one iorm oi slri to binding illustrating the present invention, rei-"ern (m. mib-ldd) ence being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

iig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, show ing one 'iorm oi. binding in accordance with the invention, assembled with a slri and boot; 5

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing the binding somewhat raised from the Siri as in walking;

iig. 3 is a plan view oi the iorm ci construction shown in Figs. l and 2; 10

i is a central vertical section ci a portion oi the iorm oi' binding shown in Fig. l, but with the parts in position in-whlch the boot is iinclamped; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section talren on the line 15 .'i--h ci Fig. Si, looking in the direction ci the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, there is shown at lil the central portion oi a siii upon which binding is mounted. The binding preferably 2f comprises a toe piece or toe iron ii having side portions ii suitably coniormed for receiving the toe oi a. siti boot d, preferably so that the sole ci" the boot rests on the bottom oi the toe piece and is wedged between the side portions it as the 2% boot is pushed forward into the toe piece. ii de sired, the toe piece may be pivoted 'upon the siti for swinging about an airis transverse to the length ot the slri, ior instance, through a hinge consisting of an annular portion il; termed on or secured to the toe piece, and a pintle iii carried by suitable brackets i formed on a plate il secured to the ski in any convenient manner, ior instance, through screws in order to provide ior a hrm control ci the 5 heel of the boot, there may be secured to por@ tions i of toe iron it, a pair oi rigid side members itt which entend bach along opposite sides oi' the boot sole to the heel, and which are preimerably connected by suitable cross pieces iii to 46, i'orm a rigid trame unitary with the toe iron, advantageously, a generally Unshaped member iii may be provided extending around the bacir of the heel, and may be secured to members it, ior instance, through bolts i and openings il which enable the length oi the trame to be adjusted.

idler clamping the boot hrmly in the rigid trame, there may be provided a sliding wedge-w shaped clamp ior engaging the heel oi the boot 5 and urging it forward into the toe piece, means being connected with the clamp for holding it in proper position and releasing it when it is desired to remove the boot from the binding. iduch device may comprise a heel plate it having m upstanding side walls 26 arrangui to form a wedge-shaped clamp for bearing against the heel of the boot when the heel plate 2B is urged forwardly. A 60 angle between -the side walls 2B gives especially good results. The side walls 2O preferably have inwardly extending flanges 21 formed to overlie the top of the heel and thus assist ln preventing the boot from slipping out of the binding. The flanges 21 advantageously incline downwardly toward the back. In order to enable the heel piece 2l to slide forward and back'ward, any convenient type of channel members 28, for instance, may be secured to the heel piece, or formed therewith, for receiving and sliding along parallel side portions of the rigid frame.

For urging the heel piece forward into engagement with the heel of the boot, and maintaining it in such position so that the boot will be held securely in the binding, there may be provided a pair of links 30, pivoted at their forward ends, through bolts 3i, upon the side walls 26 of the heel piece, and plvoted at their rear ends, for instance through a pin 32, upon a lever 33, which lever may be mounted for rocking about a pivot pin 3l. This pivot pin 34 is advantageously mounted in suitable slots formed in a member 38 secured to the rear end of portion I9 of the frame as shown in Fig. 4, so that the lever 33 and its fulcrum 34 may slide forward and backward slightly for purposes hereafter mentioned. Lever 33 may have a finger piece IB formed thereon, preferably at its upper end. In order to assist in maintaining the heel piece 25 against the heel of the boot, and in order to urge the boot forward into the toe piece at all times, suitable coil or other type springs 40 may be attached in any convenient manner to the portions i9 of the rigid frame and to the fulcrum element 3l, so that there is a resilient clamping action.- Through this construction, provision is made for taking up slack if the boot sole softens or moves further up into the toe piece during use. Also somewhat different sizes of boots may be accommodated.

When a boot is in the binding, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the lever 33 is in the position shown in these figures, the arm of the lever between the fulcrum 34 and the pivot 32 has passed over dead center, and the tendency is to maintain the parts in the desired positions, and also for the springs 40 to wedge the heel piece 25 against the boot. When it is desired to take off the binding, it is merely necessary to snap the lever 32 over the dead center position, and push its upper end down as shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the heel plate 25 is drawn to the rear and the heel of the boot may then be lifted, so that it is possible to easily step out of the binding.

It will be appreciated that there is thus provided a binding in which the heel of the boot is firmly held in a rigid frame, in line with the toe, and in which the frame is pivoted adjacent its forward end upon the ski, so that the boot is one with the ski as far as turning or edging the ski is concerned, but so that the boot is free to move as in walking or climbing. Moreover, while a rigid frame is provided for holding the boot, the resilient clamp for the heel serves to securely hold the boot in the binding at all times. On the other hand, it is easy to release the heel piece so that the boot can be removed from the birfiadlilng quickly and easily, for instance, after a It is voften desirable to urge the heel of the boot lto lie fiat against the top of the ski, particularly in down-hill running, and for this purpose there may be provided suitable springs, such as coil springs 4I, having their forward ends pivoted as at I0 upon a suitable lever l2, and having their rear ends pivotally attached to toe piece il, as at 45, the springs being arranged to urge the rigid binding, and through it the boot heel, to lie flat on the ski. With the parts in the positions shown in full lines in Figs. l and 2, the force exerted by the springs 4I is slight and satisfactory for normal walking, climbing or easy down-hill running. The lever 43 may be mounted on a pivot 44 rigidly attached to the forward portion of the ski in any convenient manner. When the lever is thrown to the position shown in dotted lin in Fig. 1, the force of the spring is markedly increased, so that the heel of the boot will be held down with even greater force, when desired, as in fast running on steep slopes. It will be appreciated that the construction of the springs I l, and the lever 4I, as well as the means of connecting these springs to the toe piece and lever, may be varied considerably. However, through the present construction, there is provided a superior means of maintaining the boot fiat d uring down-hill running, as is desirable, which means does not have to be separately attached, but which is carried with the ski along with the other parts of the binder, and which may be adjusted by a simple manipulation.

Through the present spring device at the front of the boot, in cooperation with the other features described, there is provided the desired tendency to hold the heel flat, since force of the spring is transmitted directly through the rigid frame to the rear of the boot. Furthermore, this means eliminates the need for separate heel springs which have to be frequently detached and reattached in use, and which often become tangled with the opposite ski.

In short, the construction provides a particularly rigid, simple and durable device which being composed substantially entirely of metal and being permanently secured to the ski, avoids the disadvantages of detachable straps which may become loose and be lost.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. A ski binding of the character described comprising a toe piece adapted to receive and firmly engage the toe of alboot, a rigid frame extending along the sides of the boot to the heel, a heel clamp carried for sliding with respect to said frame, resilient means to urge said clamp against the heel of the boot to hold the boot in nnn menne nionnied en seid frnme in beek of said clamp and between the sides oi tbe frame foi' inging seid einmn against the neel el' the boot, said means comprising n piveted lever and resilient connections between sein freine enel elnmp for prensinn the clmnn nnninst tbe lieei oi' tbe boei; iso bold ine beni'. in ine binninn.

3. ln n sin bindinn, in cembinntinn, n niveied rigid frnnie inelnninn eide membein entenninn in the heel of tbe been n heel eleinn enriied by nein side members foi' sliding witln ieeneei: isiiereim .seid elnmn being wednenshnpeei nneil. bni'inn lenir wni'nly inclined nennen for overlying npr naines of ine heel of the beet, anni ineens monnted en snin frsnne in been ei" seid elnnin nnn between tbe sides ei the iinnie feiinninn inni elnnin nnninei; time beei of tbe bent.

ii. ln n sin bindinn, in enmbinniinn, n d frame ndnpted te engage the neel oi the boot, menins to nivoi; sniel iinlne on the nm, nnd In i: v enriiedl by said freine nnd beine ennniineted end nrinnneci mi' clnmninn the boot in. tbe freine, nnin means adapted to constantly urge said lever and 5. lin n e binding, in combination, n rinda ii'e nnnnien in ieeeive n ein beni :inn nein. the seme winni imm beei in ien menne to pivot anni iinme nnen tbe ein nnineeni ine Iniwnrel lini'i oi ine i'innin n neei elnnineni'iiee'i by nnin Heime,- nnd resilieni: niennn ennien by ine feminin enel ni ine ein ennnecieei in anni iie, nniel ifeeilieni; in inclue n ievei ini' vninine ine ioiee ni ine nein ennn nnei sein inennn beine eongstrneieei nnn .nnnnnen in ne snin im@ im iie iinin'iaiie ein.

n. .ii ein binding ne eieai in elaine i, inclniiing means nwiinbeei .en ibeie'i'wnwi enn oi ine nnd ennneeieei in eniel ime im" inning-ine' smilie in lie ni nn tbe eki.

DA H. DD. 

